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Have there been any surprises for you as you get older?

I didn't know exactly what to expect when I retired—even though I was supposed to be "an expert." But I did try to practice the things that I was preaching in my seminars.

The exciting thing for my wife and me was that God continues to use our spiritual gifts in retirement. He gifted us as teachers and since retiring we've had many opportunities to continue to teach.

Besides those who are aging, the book's other obvious audience is those with parents who are going through this process. What should they be aware of?

If we live long enough, we will become dependent again, as we were as infants. It's going to happen. But most people die before that happens. Those who love elderly people or who care for them need to be sensitive to help them maintain independence as long as they possibly can, instead of thrusting them into a dependent situation and allowing them no more voice in their life.

They really need to honor them and see them through until the end of their lives. That's what God asks us to do.

In both your research and your personal experience, what are you learning about facing death?

Like aging, it is inevitable and irresistible. We ought to meet it head on. We ought not to deny it or be reluctant to talk about it. That would be unhealthy in my opinion.

To meet death head on would be to talk about it and particularly talk about it with others who are significant in your life. Tell them about your plans, tell them about your hopes and expectations. You should also ask them, "When that time comes, how can I make it easy for you?" That's doing a great service to your next of kin, in my opinion. I've had some of those conversations [with my sons]. And I suspect that there are more to come.

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Visit DickStaub.com for audio and video of his radio program (4-7 p.m. PST), media reviews, and news on "where belief meets real life."

Recent Dick Staub Interviews include:

Carmen Renee Berry's Unabashedly Consumerist Handbook to Ecclesiology | The author of The Unauthorized Guide to Choosing a Church helps seekers find their best congregational fit. (July 22, 2003)

Are Darwinists Immoral? | Benjamin Wiker says Darwinism isn't science per se: it's just a reiteration of a 2,300-year-old philosophy (July 1, 2003)

J. Budziszewski Knows That You Know What You Know | Even though you may not know it yourself. (June 24, 2003)

How Dan Allender Broke on Through (to the Other Side) | A former drug dealer who evangelized before he was a Christian talks about his efforts to bring healing from sexual abuse (June 10, 2003)

Paul Elie on 'the Holy Ghost School' | The author of The Life You Save May Be Your Own talks about the personal journeys of Flannery O'Connor, Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, and Walker Percy and what we learn from them today (June 3, 2003)

Why We Are Drawn to The Matrix | Chris Seay, coauthor of The Gospel Reloaded, says the first movie was about finding belief and the second looks at walking that path. (May 27, 2003)

Remembering Francis of Assisi, the Crazy Genius | CT managing editor Mark Galli finds someone who lived the Sermon on the Mount. (May 20, 2003)

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July (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47